Who set up the British Hospital in Crimea in 1855?

• A. Florence Nightingale
• B. Mary Seacole
• C. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
• D. Lydia Carter

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is recognizing the impact of individual initiative in wartime medical relief. Mary Seacole, a Jamaican-born nurse, traveled to the Crimea and funded and set up the British Hotel at Balaclava in 1855. This establishment acted as a lodging and care facility near the front lines for British soldiers who were wounded or sick, providing meals, shelter, and nursing care, often with medicines and herbs from Seacole herself. She operated it with her own money and volunteers, offering practical support where official medical systems were stretched or slow to respond. This act showcases a form of humanitarian nursing that runs alongside the formal hospital care people often learn about, and it highlights how women could make a direct, personal contribution to soldier welfare in war.

Florence Nightingale is known for leading formal nursing and hospital reform, especially at Scutari, rather than setting up this front-line relief facility. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson and Lydia Carter are connected to different aspects of medical history and do not relate to the Crimean War relief effort in the same way.